


Completely

by snarkysweetness



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Family, Fluff, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-08
Updated: 2013-01-08
Packaged: 2017-11-24 04:13:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/630253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkysweetness/pseuds/snarkysweetness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>August prepares to propose to Emma, who shares some unexpected news. Complications arise when Henry feels betrayed by the new arrival. With Charming’s disapproval and Regina threatening to tear their family apart, August fights to keep Emma’s sanity in check while keeping his family together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Completely

**Author's Note:**

> August prepares to propose to Emma, who shares some unexpected news. Complications arise when Henry feels betrayed by the new arrival. With Charming’s disapproval and Regina threatening to tear their family apart, August fights to keep Emma’s sanity in check while keeping his family together.

“Really? This is where we’re having our date?”

August had come to her that bed this morning while she’d been going over paperwork and announced that they were ‘going out’. He’d look too happy, like a kid on Christmas morning, for her to refuse. So here they were, in the dead of winter, at a watering hole.

“Don’t give me that look; this is where we had our first date.” He took two cups out of his satchel and she laughed. Shaking her head, she took a mug of water from his hand and smirked. He was smooth; she had to give him that. 

“So, what’s the occasion?” She asked as she took a sip. August leaned against the well and watched her with a look on his face that sent shivers up her spine and made her feel like the only woman in the world. 

“Does there need to be one?” He took her gloved hand and linked their fingers together. Giving him a bemused smile, she stepped closer to him and set her mug down on the stone slab so her hands would be free to wrap around his waist. She gave him a small kiss, deciding this was the perfect time to give him the news she’d been holding on to all week. He was perfect and this date proved it. There was no reason for her to keep it to herself anymore; there was nothing to be afraid of. 

“Look, Emma, I-“

She placed her fingers to his lips. 

“I’m pregnant.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Emma was the only person he wanted to spend his life with. He’d known it since the moment he’d come back into her life and with the addition of Henry, he couldn’t be happier. He knew she wasn’t the type of woman who needed to get married, Hell, she probably didn’t even want it, but she deserved to have the option. He could go the rest of their lives with the way things were, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to offer her more.

He leaned against the well where he’d taken her on their first ‘date’, watching her in awe. Her cheeks were pink from the cold and she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It amazed him that she could still take his breath away. 

He took her hand, intending to ask now. He wasn’t going to get down on one knee, she’d hate that. He opened his mouth but before he could get the words out she spoke and knocked the air out of his lungs. 

“I’m pregnant.”

There weren’t words that could express his level of excitement so he took her in his arms and kissed her until her knees went weak and he had to support her against his chest. 

“I love you,” he whispered as he stared down at her beaming features.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Hey kid.” Emma slid into a booth at Granny’s and kissed the top of Henry’s head. The night before had been Regina’s night with him and Emma had missed him. He’d only been gone for two days, but those were still the worst days of the week. She loved her kid more than anything and while she didn’t like sharing him with Regina, it was the best thing for him.

“How was your weekend?”

Henry shrugged and took a bite out of his French Toast.

“Fine. Did you miss me?”

Emma smiled and kissed him again.

“Of course I did.”

Henry smirked.

“Good. Where’s August?”

August wanted to be there, but Emma knew that this would be a sensitive topic for Henry and she wanted to tell him alone. As she looked down into her son’s eyes, she regretted her decision. August loved Henry just as much as she did. Hopefully the kid would understand that just because they were having a child of their own it didn’t mean they would love him any less. 

She sighed. 

“He’s at home. I actually wanted to talk to you alone.” She fought back a wave of nausea, knowing it wasn’t morning sickness, it was nerves. “You know that I love you, right? And so does August?”

“You’re not breaking up are you?”

“No! Never! I mean…no.”

He let out a breath.

“Good.”

August entered the diner from the Inn and gave Emma a small nod as he moved to the counter.

“How would…I mean…look, kid…” She sighed. “August and I are going to have a baby. You’re going to be a big brother.”

She was expecting her kid to be a trooper and be happy. She knew that he could feel left out and abandoned because she’d given him up, but she was used to her kid being resilient. So when Henry pushed his plate forward angrily and grabbed his backpack, she was taken aback.

“I have to go to school.”

“Kid-“

Henry climbed over her and went for the door without another word. Emma frowned, not sure what to do. He clearly wanted to be alone but she couldn’t just avoid the subject. She threw down money for Henry’s breakfast and moved to chase after him but a hand on her shoulder kept her in place.

“Let him have some time to process it, Ems. I’m sure he’ll be ready to talk after school.”

She nodded and leaned into August as she tried not to let guilt consume her.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

August entered Granny’s to find the kid brooding over his book. He fought off a frown and moved to take the stool next to him.

“You know, if you keep staring at the book like that, your face will stick.”

Henry ignored him. Not even a quip about his nose growing for the lie. This wasn’t their kid. 

“Hey. I know you’re mad, but this isn’t easy for your mom, you know. She needs you to be strong for her.”

“Why? Once you guys have your own baby I’ll just be back with Regina,” he said angrily. “Isn’t that why you’ve been sending me there on the weekends? To get rid of me slowly?”

“What? Kid, no. We’re not letting…your moms are doing their best to work together; no one is sending you away. We all love you, Henry. Me, your mom, Regina, even Neal.” 

Though his biological father was content with his life in New York, they’d agreed that Henry would spend three weeks out of the summer with him and Neal came to see him at least once a month. It was the best they could all do with a screwed-up situation. 

“You’re our main priority, Henry, and having another kid isn’t going to change that. We’re going to love you both the same.”

“Yeah, expect Emma’s not going to give this one away.”

August took Henry by the shoulder and gently made him face him.

“Hey, don’t try to guilt-trip your mom. Do you think she hasn’t thought of that? She spent most of the weekend crying because you were gone and because she wished she had raised you. You can’t change the past, kid, but don’t give your mom a hard time because she has the ability to do it right this time. 

She would have kept you if she’d been able to provide for you, you know that. Besides, aren’t you supposed to be the hero? Heroes always give their moms a break when they need it,” he told him with a small nudge of encouragement. 

Henry frowned but August could tell he’d gotten through to him.

“She really feels that guilty?”

“Yeah, she does. You’re the most important thing in the world to her, the last thing she wants to do is hurt you.”

“And you won’t send me away?”

“Never.” August promised. “Now, are you ready to go home and apologize to your mom?”

Henry nodded and August patted him on the back as he paid for Henry’s hot chocolate.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Emma paced across the length of the living room, wondering where her kid was. She’d left the station early to make sure she was home when he got out of school. Five more minutes and she’d go out searching all of his usual hiding spots.

“Ems?” August called from the foyer.

“In here!”

Once August had moved in the loft was no longer practical so they found a small house to rent at the edge of town. It wouldn’t do once the baby came, but it was the best they could manage for now, especially with the non-existent real estate market in Storybrooke.

August entered the room with Henry in tow and she sighed in relief. August nudged him forward and Henry reluctantly approached.

“Henry-“ He threw both of his arms around her middle, knocking the air out of her. She smiled and hugged him back, relieved. 

“I’m sorry mom.”

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” She kissed the top of his head and stared at August. “Thank you,” she mouthed, knowing he was behind this. 

He gave her a small nod and slipped out quietly, letting them have a chance to talk things out.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Emma, stop.” Snow slapped Emma’s hand away from the cookie dough she was working on. “You’re behaving like you haven’t eaten in days.”

“I can’t help it, it’s really good!”

Emma snuck another piece when her mother’s back was turned. When she’d been pregnant with Henry she’d craved nothing but Astro bars, now it seemed she wanted anything raw and sweet. Raw cookie dough, cake batter, cupcake batter, etc. She needed to stop it or they were going to have sickly baby. 

“I saw that. Spill. What’s gotten into you?”

Snow gave Emma her stern mama stare down and Emma leaned against the counter. She checked to make sure no one was listening in before smiling. 

“The baby really likes cookie dough.”

“Well, that’s not healthy, Emma, the raw eg-what did you just say?”

Emma gave her mother a small shrug and Snow immediately covered her mouth.

“Emma, are you?”

She nodded and Snow enveloped her in a huge hug.

“Oh, my baby!” Snow cried out happily with tears in her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

Emma pulled away from her mother and shook her head. She wanted to tell her father herself. 

“Nothing, dad.”

He eyed them warily but didn’t ask questions. Snow gave Emma a ‘look’ and Emma groaned. 

“Come on, dad, I want to show you the swing August built for Henry.”

Emma led him out to the small backyard. It wasn’t much, but August made it work. Henry enjoyed being outdoors and reading so August had built him a small swinging bench and decorated it with comfortable cushions so the kid wouldn’t spend hours sitting on a slab of wood. 

“What do you think?”

To say Charming wasn’t August’s biggest fan was an understatement. He didn’t trust him, or any man that came near Emma, but even he couldn’t deny that August was a good father. Henry wasn’t his son but he treated him like he was just the same. Henry looked up to him and they had an amazing bond, one Emma was still trying to find with her father. She envied them for being able to form it so quickly. 

“It’s okay.”

Emma rolled her eyes.

“I think it’s great. He’s really good with Henry; you could at least give him that, dad.”

“He’s not good enough for you.”

“Dad.” She sighed. This was not how she wanted this to go. “You need to get over this, because he’s not going anywhere.”

“He could. He left you before. And you could always find someone bet-“

“We’re having a baby, dad. So no, he’s not leaving and I’m not going to find someone else.”

She wasn’t expecting his reaction to be like her mother’s, but she expected him to be pleased with having another grandchild. It seemed the men in her family were just going to be difficult about this.

“Are you sure that he’s really what you want?”

She stared at her father, while her blood boiled. She didn’t want to get angry, the baby needed her to keep her emotions in check, but he was trying her patience. He could at least be happy for her. She’d been alone her entire life and now she finally had a family. She didn’t think wanting them all to be at peace would be too much to ask. She opened her mouth to tell him off but she caught sight of August and Henry roughhousing in the living room. 

She watched them for a moment and a small smile crept onto her face. 

“Yeah, he is.” She turned back to her father. “He’s all I want. And if you can’t understand that and be happy for me, then it’s your loss, daddy.” Emma left him to join her boys, suddenly in no mood to argue with him.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

“Thanks.” Emma took a cup of tea from Regina and blew on it. She wasn’t sure why the former mayor had invited her over, but she assumed it had something to do with Henry. They weren’t friends and they didn’t trust or like one another, but they did their best to work together for Henry’s benefit. Henry was the only thing that mattered and Emma would do anything for him, including playing nice with Regina.

“I suppose you’re wondering why I asked you here?” Emma nodded as she sipped at the tea. Regina watched Emma for a moment before reaching for her own tea. “I wanted to see how Henry is doing. He seemed upset the other day. If he’s that affected by being separated from me-“

“He’s not moving back in with you, Regina.” Emma didn’t trust Regina as far as she could throw her. “Henry’s fine. He’s a kid, they have off-days.” Regina pulled this every few weeks. She wasn’t keen on sharing but she did it because she had no choice. Gold was very crafty with contracts and Henry’s adoption hadn’t been as legal as Regina assumed. With the entire town willing to testify that Regina was a bad mother, she wouldn’t stand a chance in court even if she tried. So she resorted to manipulation to try and get her way.

“No matter how hard you try, I’m not giving him up and I don’t have time to sit here and do another round of this with you, Regina.”

Emma stood to leave but Regina called out after her.

“Oh and I forgot. I hear congratulations are in order. A new baby on top of taking care of Henry. That’s a lot of work. It would be a shame if Henry suffered because of it. If you can’t handle both, which I suspect you can’t, I’m more than willing to continue raising my son.”

She clenched her fist and turned to Regina slowly. 

“If Henry suffered it was because the woman who was supposed to love and protect him treated him like he was a crazy person for years, neglected him, and used him when it was convenient. You didn’t realize you loved him until it was too late. If you honestly think I’d ever let you have him you’re insane. I only allow you to see him because it would hurt Henry if I kept you away from him and unlike you, I’m not selfish and I put him first. Threaten to take him away from me again, Regina, and I will start a war that you won’t win.”

With a small glare, Emma turned and left, seething.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

As much as Emma hated it, Regina had struck a nerve. Emma would never allow her to have Henry, as if he was some sort of possession, unless it was what he wanted, in which case, she’d work something out. She loved Henry but she was terrified. She hadn’t raised him; she didn’t know how to do this properly. What if she screwed up this new kid? What if she unintentionally neglected Henry? What if she failed?

She walked to the docks, where she watched the boats in the harbor as she thought things over.

August was with her. Even if she had no idea what she was doing, he was good with this stuff. He was amazing with Henry, he was patient, and he was good with all of the ‘mom’ stuff. He was the one who cooked, remembered to clean, and knew how to talk to people. He’d balance out her inexperience and ignorance. 

She took a seat on one of the benched and closed her eyes, feeling calmer than she had this morning.

“I take it Regina’s did go well?”

She opened her eyes to find him holding out a cup of hot chocolate from Granny’s. He was always thinking of her. She smiled and took it gratefully.

“Thank you. And no. She’s just…” Emma sighed and shook her head. Regina would continue to try and take Henry and Emma couldn’t let her get to her. There was no use in stewing over it. It was what it was and no amount of anger would change it. “I’m over it, really. She just struck a nerve, but I’m fine.” She took a sip of her hot drink, grateful for his thoughtfulness. 

August took the seat next to her and grasped her hand. He rubbed the inside of her palm for a long moment before speaking. 

“I know you think you can’t do this, but you’re an amazing mom. Henry’s proof of that. And you have me. Don’t let Regina tell you differently.”

Emma turned and kissed his cheek.

“I know. I just…” Emma sighed. “I just want to make up for everything I did wrong with Henry and I don’t know if I can.”

August took her hand.

“But you’ll try, which is what matters. Come on, I want to show you something.”

Emma groaned in protest. It was too cold to do more walking, but she followed him.

“Where are we going?” She asked five minutes later as they trekked through the thin part of the forest. August led her through the trees and to the shoreline. It was the beachiest part of Storybrooke, which wasn’t saying much. It was also where they’d found the heart Regina had used to frame Mary Margaret for Kathryn’s ‘murder’. “Why are we here?”

She looked around and stepped closer to the water, wondering what he could have to show her. When she didn’t see anything outright she turned to find him digging for something in the ground. She moved towards him, confused.

“August, what-“

He uncovered a small item from the ground and held it up. Emma opened her mouth in shock as fear coursed through her. He wasn’t…no…

“August,” she whispered as he stood, holding the object out to her. She took it from him and smiled as a tear spilled from the corner of her eye. Once she realized that the fear had nothing to do with him she looked up at him with a smile. 

“Ems, I don’t want to ask you a question. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want you to know I’ll give you everything you want, so…if you want me, I’d like nothing more than to marry you but if not,” he shrugged. “Then I’m fine being your willing manservant. I love you, Emma.”

She wrapped both arms around him and kissed him, unable to speak. She liked to pretend she didn’t need to get married and do things the ‘normal’ way, but she’d been deprived of normal her entire life and she wanted to marry him and raise their kids like a normal, boring family, because after everything she deserved a little normal.

“Yes,” she whispered as she broke their kiss. “Yes, I’ll marry you. You did knock me up, it’s the least you can do.” She teased. 

August pulled her against him and kissed her again and she found that they didn’t really need words to communicate.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

August was happier than he’d been in a long time. They’d overcome incredible circumstances to get to the place they were now and he wanted nothing more than to live a boring life with Emma, Henry, and the little bambino.

“Hey mom, August.”

“What are you doing out here this late, kid?”

“Grandpa’s inside,” Henry said in his defense from his spot on the grass. He stood and brushed himself off. August shook his head, he’d built the kid a place to read and here he was sitting in the dirt doing it instead. “Where have you guys been, we were supposed to have family pizza night.”

Emma leaned against his side and August wrapped his arm around her.

“You can tell him,” she whispered and August kissed the top of her head, grateful.

“Your mom and I are getting married,” August told him with a smile. He hoped the kid would react well to this news; he wasn’t sure Emma could handle another melt-down. Henry watched them both for a long moment before a grin spread over his features. August let out a breath he hadn’t even remembered holding.

“I knew it!” He threw both of his arms around them before running into the house to tell Charming the news.

Emma pulled him down for a kiss.

“My dad’s not going to be happy, you know.”

August shrugged, he’d dealt with worse.

“Too bad, you’re mine, Princess, and I’m never going to let you go again.”

“Oh? I’m yours?”

“Yes and I’m yours. Completely. Forever and for always.”

“You’re being cheesy right now.”

He tilted her chin and kissed her. 

“I don’t care. Come on; let’s go deal with your father. Hopefully your mom shows up before he kills me.”


End file.
